Drinking With Bilingual Friends? There's an App for That

– Anyone planning to drive this holiday weekend should know law enforcement agencies across the country are participating in a nationwide crackdown on doing so under the influence. In the Rocky Mountain State, the Colorado Department of Transportation is making sure the Spanish speaking, gadget carrying, public is aware of this too. And to make it even easier, it's created an app for it, en español.

The bilingual 'Estas Tomado? Calculadora de DUI' app is free to Android users. So if someone, let's say, has been celebrating the three-day weekend by tossing back a few (too many) the app will calculate the estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC), "...based on how many drinks they have consumed, how long they have been drinking, their weight and gender," according to the CDOT. What's more, it will do the calculation in English or Spanish as well as pounds and kilos.

"The bilingual app is a tool for people to better educate themselves about how much alcohol it takes to make them over the legal limit, and empower them to make better decisions to get a safe and sober ride home,” said Don Hunt, CDOT's executive director. The app also encourages people to make smart choices. "Before you go out celebrating, plan ahead by designating a sober driver." And if you don't have one, no sweat: The 'Estas Tomado?' app will call a taxi for you.

While there are plenty of English language apps that will calculate how much is too much for a user, CDOT explains, in a news release on the launch of the tool, that it wants to, "...reach the growing number of Hispanics in Colorado who now make up 20.7% of the state's population and (who) are the fastest growing users of smart phone technology.

The department reminds users that its BAC calculator is only a 'guide' that evaluates averages. "Alcohol affects everyone differently and factors such as food consumption, medication, health and psychological conditions are a factor," according to CDOT.